


Kittens

by dekma



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Abuse, Angst, Anxious Kuroo Tetsurou, Depressed Kozume Kenma, Fluff, Harassment, High School, Hugs, I Will Go Down With This Ship, Insecure Kozume Kenma, Kozume Kenma & Kuroo Tetsurou Friendship, Kuroo Tetsurou is a Good Friend, M/M, Nerd Kuroo Tetsurou, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Protective Kuroo Tetsurou, Self-Harm
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-13
Updated: 2021-02-23
Packaged: 2021-03-17 11:49:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,944
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28724640
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dekma/pseuds/dekma
Summary: They've been friends for so long. Kenma never seemed sad.Sure, he was quiet and reserved, but so were millions of other people- that doesn’t mean he’s sad!Well, that’s what Kuroo thought.
Relationships: Akaashi Keiji/Bokuto Koutarou, Hinata Shouyou/Kageyama Tobio, Kozume Kenma/Kuroo Tetsurou
Comments: 7
Kudos: 49





	1. Secrets

**Author's Note:**

> Hi there! My first fic:') no one will see this, but if someone does let me know if I should put up moreee

TW: this chappie has some self-harm. take care of yourselves<3

\--  
“Oi, Kenma! Let’s go to Bokuto’s and hang out.” The tall raven-haired boy barged in on the small blonde who was alone in the clubroom, with a smirk at his teasing words against his best friend. Kuroo’s smile dropped immediately when he saw the state of Kenma.

They just had a practice match between another uprising team and got their rear ends handed to them. It wasn’t a surprise to Nekoma, they had heard of the prestigious private school that recruits students just for volleyball. They probably won’t ever see them again.

But a loss is a loss, and that was still tough to deal with. 

The team had left school already, the last 2 being the infamous duo that was connected at the hip. It was only 5 pm, but everyone was exhausted.

“Kuroo!” Kenma gasped and grabbed his volleyball sweatshirt in a weak effort to cover up, eyes wide at the older boy.

_“Kenma- what the fuck are those?!”_ He stepped forward dramatically, ripping the shirt away from him.

His eyes widened at the smaller boy’s skin.

His shoulders were lined with red, skinny puffy with inflammation. It looked as though he was attacked by a tiger- and recently. So were his wrists. What the fuck?

“Go away!” Kenma screamed in his face with tears running down his cheeks, yanking his sweatshirt back and shoving it over his head, trying to rush pass Kuroo.

“Oh no you don’t.” Kuroo grabbed his arm, Kenma immediately wincing under the touch.

Kuroo immediately let go, realizing the pain the smaller boy is in. Kenma stood frozen after ripping his arm back, sobbing more than Kuroo has ever seen him before.

He balled the ends of his shirt into paws, soaking up the tears by pushing his cheeks harshly. “Hey… It’s okay…” Kuroo stepped forward and grabbed his arms gently, lowering them.

“That’s easy for you to say- you’re perfect! You’re tall, handsome, strong, and good at volleyball! It doesn’t matter if you lose a game… but it matters if I do….” He lowered his face in shame out of admitting his feelings of inferiority.

Kuroo raised his hand, patting the top of Kenma’s head. “You’re so talented Kenma, what are you talking about?”

The small boy shook his head frantically. “I’d be nothing without the rest of you.”  
“Do you think that way of Hinata?”

Kenma raised his head, brows furrowed.

“No! Of course not!”

“Then why do you feel like you’re any less than me? You said I’m tall- Hinata is short but that doesn’t make him any less of a player. You’re strong too, you always stay late to practice! And you always come with me to the gym at any time. And don’t even get me started on how amazing of a player you are, okay? You give us the best tosses, can zip around on the court, and calm us all down.”

Kenma blushed, toes pointing inwards.

Kuroo just forgot one adjective…

The taller of the pair stepped forward once more, engulfing the small boy into a huge hug with a hand holding his head. He felt his heart warm at the feeling of Kenma wrapping his arms around his strong waist back.

“And I think you’re handsome too.” He whispered this last part a bit, but Kenma heard it, blush deepening to cover his cheeks.

“Shut up…” he murmured, feeling content at the warmth of his friend’s chest.  
Kuroo released him, looking down at Kenma with a gentle gaze. Their eyes met and he swore he never saw the kitten boy look so broken.

“I’m here okay? You can come to talk to me, always.” He said, the smaller one nodded.  
“I’m sorry… I just- I don’t feel that great I guess.” Kenma wasn’t the best at showing off his emotions.

“We should get out of here then. Yeah? Let's stop at mine and put our stuff down. No one’s home right now. Then we can get food.”

Kenma nodded, following his teammate out to the bus stop. Kuroo was carrying both of their volleyball bags and his own backpack, Kenma just having his backpack on from school. They haven’t hung out together one on one in weeks, and he was looking forward to it.  
-  
The two stepped off the bus in front of the bar, Kenma nervously standing next to Kuroo. While his friend could get in with no problem, it was probably a bit harder for him. 

“Hey.” Kuroo smiled at the jumper, handing him his ID. The jumper nodded, allowing him through. Kenma looked up and him and smiled sheepishly.

Curse Kuroo for this. 

“Uh sorry- I forgot my ID…” He said, the jumper looking at him with squinted eyes, then smirking slightly.

“Sure… I’ll let it slide this time. But this is the cost.” He handed Kenma a paper after scribbling on it, the small boy not even looking at it, he was too elated to be able to follow his tall teammate and be able to start a small conversation.

“What’s that?” Kuroo asked, pointing to the paper after sitting at the bar next to his friend.

His feet fucking dangle in the chair. Kuroo thought. How adorable.  
Kenma shrugged, looking at it.

_(540) 999 9999 – give me a call or text sometime, cutie. 😉_

He passed it onto Kuroo, who had to hold back a choke on his beer.

“Kenma! What the hell dude?” He said with a surprised face when the smaller one shrugged.

“It’s the cost for getting in, can I get one of those?” He pointed at the bud light cutely, making Kuroo coo internally through his nodding.

_This dumbass._

“Do you get hit on often like that?” Kuroo asked, the younger one looked at him blankly.  
**“That’s not getting hit on. That’s a groomer.”**

Kuroo let out a huge chuckle, ordering a beer and fries for the duo.

They were in the middle of eating, and Kenma suddenly felt a body bump up against him.

“GOALLL!” There was a yell in his ear, Kenma frowned and looked at the man who bumped into him rather forcefully.

_He’s taller than Kuroo!_

“Hey! Watch where you’re bumping!” The blonde huffed upwards, seeing a man with dark blue eyes, staring at him with a smirk.

“Watch where you’re getting hit instead, twinkie. You’re at a bar, watch the sport.”

Kenma looked down and grumbled slightly, it’s not his fault he’s small. Kuroo got up immediately, pushing the big guy away from Kenma.

“Do you have something wise to say, dumbass? ” Kuroo questioned, positioning himself in between them.

“This your boyfriend or something?” He snorted, peering past and starting at Kenma who had his arms crossed with a frown.

“Does it affect your next sentence if I say yes?” Kuroo snapped at him, standing protectively of his teammate.

“Not really. Now move it. Come home with me instead, I’ll show you a good time.” He shoved Kuroo to the side, moving forward and grabbing Kenma’s chin so they were making eye contact.

“You’ve got nice hair… I’ll grab it while I screw you…” He murmured, twirling a strand.

Kenma pushed him on his chest hard, in an attempt to push him away from being this close to his face. He didn’t even budge.

_Why wasn’t this Kuroo?!_

Before he knew it, he saw Kuroo in the corner of his eye and a fist meeting the side of that man’s face and he fell onto the ground.

“Kuroo!” Kenma yelled, jumping at the boy who now had a bloody fist in front of him, and grabbed his hand.

The man coughed, spitting up blood.

“C’mon, let's get out of here-“ Kuroo whispered in Kenma’s ear quickly as a worker walked by, observing the scene.

Kuroo threw the rest of his cash onto the table with a tip, grabbing Kenma’s jacket with his, the small boy feeling slightly traumatized from his teammate’s encounter. 

Kuroo took his hand, pulling him out of the bar into the cold night air, where the two stood slightly tipsy.

“You’re a dumbass!” Kenma yelled suddenly on their silent walk home, tears running down his face.

“Ken?” Kuroo spoke quietly, worried about the day his teammate had.

“Y-You never know when to mind your own damn b-business- ugh!” He yelled again- frustrated that he had to be saved and that Kuroo looked so good doing it.

“What do you mean? Kenma, do you wanna talk about something? Let’s go home, do you think that will make you feel better? ” Kuroo asked with puppy eyes.

Kenma huffed, crossing his arms and looking down. He felt ashamed for trying to push Kuroo away initially. It’s not like he’s gonna go anywhere. Why would he?

“Let’s just- go home. I’m sorry-“ Kenma brought his hand to his face to hold it, tears rushing down his cheeks suddenly.

His arms were burning. He just wanted to go home and cut himself.  
“C’mon.” Kuroo gently grabbed his wrist, pulling him in the direction of the subway.

_Maybe Kenma can stay over tonight._


	2. aftermath

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kenma and Kuroo go back to Kuroo's place.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> tw: self-harm  
> sorry this is a vent fic because I feel like shit and life is hard  
> i have sm of this written I'm just lazy and tired  
> thank you for 9 kudos and a comment on my first chapter:)  
> made this chappie extra long  
> take care of yourselves <3 you are important

Tetsurō lived with his dad, grandpa, and grandma; a dynamic that Kenma always liked. His dad would come to games, support his sports career, support his grades and mental health.

Kenma felt slightly jealous.

His own father wasn’t mean- but he wasn’t nice…

“Oh Kozume! So nice to see you.” Kuroo’s grandmother cooed at him before the pair disappeared into the youngest’s bedroom.

“Sit.” He pointed to the bed and looked at Kenma, ordering the small one to sit down.

His knuckles were read and had some bruising.

“How are you feeling?” Kuroo asked suddenly, the blonde perking up at the sight of the Nintendo Switch controllers in his hand.

Kenma grabbed for it, the taller one pulled them away. “Answer the question.”

“I feel fine. Wanna play Mario Kart?”

Tetsurō’s frown faltered slightly, but still handed the blonde his controllers.  
“You know, I’ve done that too.”

Kenma’s eyes lifted to his teammate who was focusing on the rainbow road intently while trying to maintain a small conversation.

“Did what?”

“Hurt myself. With a knife.”

Kenma froze, his character falling off of the road and him losing his position from 4th to 6th.

Kuroo- cut himself? Why? Why would he do that?

“Why?”

“I guess I was sad- I didn’t feel good enough. But, the team showed me otherwise, after I got to high school. So I didn't need it anymore.” He smiled big, stirring a blush in Kenma’s cheeks and slight excitement down south. 

“I’m sure. You help me a lot.”

Kuroo looked up at him this time while Kenma’s eyes stayed locked on the screen.  
It’s fine. He’s fine with losing this round.

“You don’t just help me with Volleyball- you’ve always kept me afloat. Even when we were kids- you would always be like ‘Kenma-kun let’s go play volleyball or Kenma-san it’s time for lunch’, always helping.”

Kuroo blushed a bit, putting his controller down and looking at the blonde.

“Kenma, can I see them?” He looked at the smaller covered shoulders, the blonde nodded, going to remove his sweatshirt and sat in front of him on the bed with his legs folded under him

_God… He’s so small. So perfect._

Kuroo cleared his head of those random dirty thoughts, smiling gently while running his fingers over the slightly raised skin. There were at least 30 marks, half of which seeming decently new. There were a few layers of skin under them, where he could see feint white lines which depicted previous scars of his that healed. Kenma shivered under his touch.

They healed, and he just cut again. It’s always been like that.  
Kuroo shook his head but nodded, handing Kenma his sweatshirt and bowing his head.

“I promise-! I will always make sure you’re okay! If you’ll let me!”

Kenma nodded in confusion after putting on the oversided Nekoma sweater.  
“Thanks…I guess.”

The two started playing again, enjoying the rest of their night. Kenma rotated between Kirby, Yoshi and Ice climbers, Kuroo often opted for Snake or Bayonata.  
“Kenma, do you like boys?”

Kuroo randomly asked Kenma this after a race, causing the blonde to sputter slightly on his juice.

“Huh?”

“I’m just wondering. You’ve never talked about a girl. And then two guys hit on you today but you didn’t care. I mean! You did care- but you didn’t say anything so I didn’t know if you even like boy-“

Kenma cut off his best friend with a small laugh, looking up at him.

“I just like people. Does gender really even matter? You know how I act with Hinata.” He shrugged, a small smile lingering on his lips.

 _What a Kenma answer_ … Kuroo thought.

“Tetsuro? Is something wrong?”

Kenma put his controller down and looked at his best friend, worry etched all over his face. The elder shook his head.

“No no! I just- was curious. I guess. We have a dance coming up- are you asking anyone?”

Kenma thought of the winter ball, heart twisting at the fact he probably can’t ask his best friend to be his date and go with him- he probably has a beautiful girl to take.

_Well, not a date. But to just hang out. He just loves being around Kuroo._

He furrowed his brows, shaking his head.

“I don’t think anyone would want to go with me.”

Kuroo frowned at his dear friend’s lack of confidence.

“I’m sure we could find someone!”

Kenma shook his head.

“It’s okay, I think I’m going to just skip it.”

“No! If you're gonna skip it- just come with me!”

Kenma looked up at him, eyes empty of the normal light it has.

“It’s okay Kuroo- you probably have a bunch of friends to go with. And a girl you want to go with. Mira-san confessed her love to you yesterday, and last week that girl Eri called you cute too!”

Kuroo flopped backwards on his bed so that his head was next to Kenma’s lap. It’s true the raven haired boy was popular, but he always just wanted to hang out with Kenma.

“Well, I’d much rather go with you. I don’t even know them. We’d have much more fun dancing. And after we can get dinner or something. We can even hang out with the team if you want...” He grumbled slightly, grabbing a pillow and smushing it into his face out of slight embarrassment for his transparency.

_Tetsurō wants to go on a date. With me. But, he’s straight? He likes girls. Kenma thought._

“Kuroo, do you like boys?”

Said boy spoke into the pillow, the smaller one couldn’t hear it.

“What was that?”

Kuroo removed the pillow, eyes looking at the ceiling. “I don’t know.”

“Okay.”

Kuroo looked at him confusingly.

“It doesn’t matter that I don’t know?”

Kenma shook his head, putting the controllers down and putting his head down next to Kuroo’s, turning to face him so they were both laying down next to each other.

“I don’t think it matters. You’re my friend anyway. Ok. I'll go with you."

Kuroo grinned ear to ear.

"Show me your hand now. Since I showed you- yanno.” Kenma was referring to his cuts.

Kuroo lifted his right hand, wincing when the smaller grabbed it gently.

“I’ll go get ice.” Kenma sat up suddenly, guilt overwashing him.

_He was why Kuroo was hurt._

“It’s okay, it doesn’t really hurt.”

Kenma frowned but got up nonetheless, blinking away the water in his eyes, going to the kitchen and getting an ice pack that he knows Kuroo keeps in there for recovery after practice. He grabbed his med kit from his bag, sitting on the bed in front of the man who stayed laying down.

Kuroo winced while the younger one sprayed antiseptic and put down Neosporin, appreciating the smaller boy’s medical knowledge.

_It’s probably because he knows how to take care of his cuts._

These thoughts infiltrated Kuroo's brain and he quickly pushed them out.

Thinking about Kenma cutting himself makes Kuroo **nauseous.**.

Kenma finished up by taping his knuckles, holding Kuroo’s hand for an extra second before letting go and putting the ice on top of it.

“There. Good as new."

“Wow, my hero.” Kuroo patted the top of Kenma’s head, smiling at the boy.  
Kuroo looked at the time, eyes widening when he saw it.

11:43 pm.

“Do you wanna spend the night?” He looked at Kenma who nodded but frowned.

“I don’t have any of my clothes- and we have school tomorrow- and practice-“  
So innocent.

“Here.” Tetsurō stood up, going to his closet and throwing a big shirt and pants at the smaller boy, then a towel and toothbrush.

“Do you need anything else, Ken?”

Kenma shook his head, blushing at the childhood nickname.

_Why is Tetsurō acting like my boyfriend?! Why do I like it so much!_

“You know where the bathroom is.” Kuroo smiled, Kenma leaving the room.

When he returned, Kuroo felt his heart skip a beat at the sight.

“uhh, Kuroo you’re way bigger than I thought…” Kenma sheepishly entered, the shirt falling off of a shoulder and going to his mid thighs, the pants not even staying up without him holding them.

Kuroo let out a deep chuckle. God he looked adorable.

“The shirt is long enough. Do you want boxers instead?” Kuroo asked.

“I’ll just sleep in mine, is that okay?”

“Whatever you’re comfortable in!”

Kenma just took the pants off, letting the shirt go down his thighs, his boxers slightly peering out.

“Here.” He folded them and handed them to the raven haired boy, sitting on the bed again.

Kuroo changed quickly, Kenma looking away with shyness at the stripping boy. Kuroo sat down next to him, switching the TV in front of them to Netflix.

“Coach is gonna be really mad at you tomorrow. You better feel better,” Kenma whispered and twiddled his thumbs, Kuroo heard the slight pang in his voice.

“Stop that. He can suck it. I’ll explain what happened.” Kuroo was strong enough to stand up for himself and Kenma, and he always would.

“Are you sure, I’m really sorry Tetsurō… I promise it won’t happen again.”

“Oi, you’re gonna sleep on the street if you don’t stop that. I don’t mind, I promise. I’ll be fine tomorrow!” Kuroo straightened himself up a bit, looking at the smaller boy’s face.

Kenma nodded dully. It pained his teammates’ heart.

“Grab me two of those painkillers, yeah?” Kuroo spoke up after a moment, pointing at the pill bottle next to his bed.

Kenma immediately looked over and grabbed the bottle, dumping 2 pills out and giving it to the tall boy who grabbed the water next to him.

“That reminds me…” Kenma huffed, got up and walked to his backpack, opening it up and pulling out a bottle of pills. He dumped one out, swallowing it dry and went back to the bed.

“What was that?” His teammate asked, slightly worried for the worst.

“Just an antidepressant. My grandma just makes me take them. No biggie.”


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kuroo gets kinda anxious too.  
> Im projecting, life is kinda tough! I broke a bone last month and school is hard.  
> I started writing other fics and kinda stopped writing this, but here’s a chapter i wrote a while ago:)  
> Thanks for the kudos and comments :) stay safe and wear ur masks!

Kuroo felt the familiar pang in his chest. He doesn’t want Kenma to be sad and need to take pills, he wants him to be upbeat and always have a smile on his face.

“Why do you have that look on your face? Stop it. You look creepy.” Kenma muttered slightly, not wanting Tetsurō to worry so much.

_Fuck it._

Kuroo sat up straighter, scooted closer and absorbed Kenma into a huge hug.

“K-Kuroo!” Kenma yelped at the surprise, he hasn’t been this close to his teammate in so long. Not like this. It was nice. 

“Y-you have to come to me. You’re not allowed to do this anymore- I can’t lose you. Why didn’t you tell me? I can help you. I would’ve helped you the very first time to the very last.” Kuroo’s words were choked out, he was angry, sad, guilty, resentment.  
Kuroo’s face went into the smaller boy’s neck, hands gripping on to his shirt the small boy was wearing for dear life.

“It’s okay Kuro. I’m okay-“

“Bullshit!” He let go of the smaller, hands balled into fists and tears reflecting in his eyes.

“You’re clearly not okay! Why would you even think for a second this was okay- Kenma! You need to take care of yourself- for me at least!” 

_He was taking antidepressants, he was always tired, he wanted to cut like it was a drug, he didn’t want to see anyone except Kuroo. Maybe he wasn’t okay._

Kuroo felt his emotions get more worked up than he has in forever, tears rushing down his face faster than the smaller has ever seen.

“Kuroo…” Kenma whispered, slightly in shock.

This was not the Kuroo he knows. He knows the tall, protective bad boy who also begs him to FaceTime every other night when he can’t sleep.

_Oh. He’s having a panic attack._

Kenma scooted closer to the tall boy who was holding his head in his hands, gut wrenching sobs escaping him. He put his arms around him, rubbing slowly.

Kuroo just thinks he wasn’t good enough for Kenma.

“You don’t have to always hold everyone up Kuro, it’s okay. You don’t have to blame yourself for other people’s problems. I promise. You do so much for me and the rest of our friends…” He whispered into Kuroo’s ear, the elder still trembling.

Kuroo shook his head in frustration, words of anxiety pushing through.

_You weren’t there for him. You weren’t there for him. You weren’t there for him. You weren’t-_

“It’s okay, c’mon.” Kenma struggled through soreness and achey bones, but pulled Kuroo’s arms from his knees, forcing him to lay down with his head in Kenma’s lap.

Kenma ran his left hand finger’s through his friend’s hair, the other hand going to his shoulders to rub gentle circles on them.

_Wow, Kenma was good at this. Calming me down. I think- I think I’m starting to think clearly and feel better._

“Mmm. Thanks Ken.”

Kenma reached over to the remote, starting Hunter x Hunter to take the tension in the air off of Kuroo’s shoulders and shove them onto Gon and Killua’s adventure.

“How do you feel?” Kenma asked halfway through the episode, pausing his hand movements.

He didn’t get a response.

“Tetsurō?” He asked quietly, looking over the other’s ear and seeing him fast asleep.

Kenma smiled. He was glad his friend could finally rest.

Kenma leaned back a bit, getting cozy in Kuroo’s pillows without moving the other boy.

They smelled like him. Exactly like him.

Kenma was able to fall asleep there within 2 minutes, exhausted from this day where so much happened.  
He drifted off with his hands on Kuroo, feeling lighter than he has in a long time. 

~ ~~~~~

_God what is that sound?_

Kenma’s dream was interrupted with these thoughts, his eyes opening to see a figure sitting on the edge of the bed swatting the alarm clock. 

_Oh yeah. Tetsurō. I wonder how he’s feeling._   
“Ku?” Kenma’s voice was sleep filled, pulling the blanket closer subconsciously.

Kuroo hummed, not really in the mood to talk so early in the morning.  
God his hand stung. His anxieties from last night flooded back, looking at the smaller boy who helped him through it.  
He just didn’t even have the energy to care, he was just thankful he was alive and hopefully didn’t make too big of a fool of himself. His anxiety doesn’t usually get worked up like that. 

6:50. Kenma knows this is the time Kuroo wakes up every morning. He gets up at 7:10. This is definitely 6:50, he can tell. 

“You can sleep Ken. I’ll come get you in 20.” Kuroo stood up with sleepy eyes, rubbing them with his uninjured hand. 

Kenma grunted then hummed, adjusting his position to lay on his side, passing out again almost immediately again. 

Kuroo smiled, shutting the door him to go to the bathroom. While going through his morning routine, he was thinking about what was happening the night before. He undid the bandages, going into the shower. 

_Kenma’s perfect. He calmed me down, I don’t even remember what happened after. I guess i just slept. I hope he’s okay. I’m not going to leave him alone like that. He shouldn’t cut again._

After showering, the boy looked at his iPhone for the time. 

_7:04_

Time to wake up Kenma. 

He walked back into the room quietly, seeing the blonde still fast asleep. Kuroo preferred to get up a bit early so he could have a little extra time to himself, Kenma cared more about sleep. 

“Oi, wake up.” 

Kenma groaned, brows furrowing and pulled the comforter over his head. 

He sat up, shivering at the cold air that hit his bare arms. He was holding Kuroo last night, and must have shed the shirt he had on because of the heat from both of their bodies. The cuts were cold, stinging slightly as they do every every morning. He pulled the comforter up, embarrassed at the cuts on show for Kuroo to see. 

“I uh- sweatshirt-“

Kuroo was frantically looking around, and tossed one over. Kenma pulled it over his head, smiling sheepishly with tired eyes at him. 

“Thanks.” 

He tossed the comforter off begrudgingly, going to the bathroom with the pile of stuff Kuroo prepared for him. His joints ached from yesterday’s game, his cuts hurt from existing, his heart hurt for Kuroo’s hand, and his brain was so confused.

He put down all the stuff, grabbing the toothbrush from the night before and looking at all Kuroo gave him. 

Towel, cologne, bandages, clothes… 

Kenma huffed. That bastard. 

Bandages for cuts. Clothes because i have no clean ones and we have school now. At least it’s a casual day we don’t have to wear our uniform. I’d look ridiculous in his. He even included underwear?!  
Kenma’s eyes widened. 

Does he want to claim me as his or something?! It’ll be so obvious I’m wearing his clothes. The team’s gonna make fun of me. And him. And what about his hand?!

He shook off his slightly intrusive dark thoughts. _It’s fine. You’re Kenma, it’s just Kuroo, your best friend. He won’t let anything bad happen._

_Kuroo has always been so bright, like the sun._   
Kenma found himself aching as the water hit him, all of the right spots making him feel warm. He wondered how often Kuroo would be in this position…  
How often he’d feel hot in this position. Kuroo definitely touches himself here.

He frantically pushed those thoughts away, turning the water cold and getting out, finishing getting ready.

He walked into Kuroo’s bedroom, tightening the joggers to fit him better, tucking the shirt in and pulling it out a bit. He saw the taller boy sitting on the bed, struggling to tape up his hand. 

_Fuck. He looks so good wet out of the shower._ Kuroo thought. _Maybe I do like boys…_

“C’mere.”

Kenma sat down in front of him, holding out his hands expectedly.

“Sorry Kenma…”

“It’s okay.”

Kenma grabbed his teammates’ hand, handling it carefully.

“It looks better. I think.” He sprayed the cuts, applying some neosporin.

“Can’t do anything without you huh?” Kuroo asked, Kenma shook his head. 

“Taping your hand alone is hard. It’s okay.” He did it quicker than yesterday, with the experience and less surface area to cover due to the elder’s healing. 

“How does it feel?”

Kuroo took his hand back and formed it into a fist, only wincing slightly.

“It’ll be fine! Thanks Kenma!”

Kenma hummed, getting up and sorting all of his volleyball bag for practice after school, and making sure he has all his stuff for classes. 

It was Friday, finally. He would go back home after practice today, he should check in with his dad.  
Kuroo sat on his computer in bed, having already gone through his stuff. He was googling some stuff while Kenma went through his assignment notebook. The smaller boy always had good grades than him, despite his lack of care for school. Kuroo always tutored him through it, and Kenma was fine. They just always have worked like that. 

His google history was heavy for 7 AM. 

_What to do when your friend cuts themself. How to help a friend that hurts himself. How to tell if your friend is depressed. How to stop your friend from cutting._

It was all the same thing. Stay with him, don’t let him be alone, don’t let him near sharp stuff.  
Kuroo exhaled out of slight frustration. Kenma was just so damn confusing. It wasn’t a bad thing necessarily- he just had his differences and he didn’t like opening up. 

“Ku?” 

Kenma shut his book and put it away, going towards the older boy. Kuroo hurriedly shut his laptop, not seeing the slightly hurt expression on Kenma’s face from hiding the laptop from him. 

_It’s fine. He might be looking at naked girls anyway. Not like I wanna see that._

“Ready to go?” Kuroo smiled, Kenma felt like he was melting away from how much he loved the other boy’s smile. 

Kenma nodded, grabbing his backpack and moving towards him . “Thanks.” 

Kuroo put his own backpack on, grabbing his volleyball bag with his left hand, Kenma’s with his injured right hand. 

“Let me carry mine.” Kenma scowled, trying to take his bag back that was just moved away from in front of him.

“I’ve got them.”

Kenma’s face stayed frowned. But, they had to get started on their day.


End file.
